The present invention relates to a door pillar construction or a like frame member having reduced weight and suitable rigidity for use in door frames.
In recent years, due to new requirements, in reduction of energy consumption and for pollution control, it has been a goal in design of vehicles to reduce the weight of the final vehicles produced. In the past, many of the nonstructural areas have already been reduced in weight by substituting lighter weight materials, where possible, in areas such as grills, body panels and the like. While the average weight of vehicles has been reduced substantially in the past few years, vehicle manufacturers are still seeking ways in which to further reduce the weight of the vehicle.
Thus, in recent years manufacturers have looked for ways to reduce weight in areas which have heretofore been somewhat untouched, such as vehicle doors. Vehicle doors are particularly troublesome from a weight reduction design standpoint. This is because while a door is an aesthetic component of the automobile, a substantial amount of structural rigidity is also required. This makes it hard for designers to simply substitute prior materials with new lighter materials without reducing the structural integrity of the door. In some areas of the door, such as the panels, considerable weight may be saved by substitution with lighter materials. However, for the structural components of the door, such as the door pillar, there remains a need to reduce weight without sacrificing structural integrity. It is a goal in the present invention to provide a pillar section for a door structure which will substantially reduce the weight of this structural portion of the door while retaining the necessary structural rigidity.
The fit and detail of parts such as doors have also been sought after goals for improvements in final vehicles. Heretofore exact tolerances were necessary for producing acceptable fits on door pillars and the like. Thus, it would be an improvement in the art to provide a door pillar which could be adjustable to conform to the vehicle more closely. It is therefore also a goal in the present invention to provide such an adjustable pillar construction.